Free SNMP Managers EXPOSED...

You've probably looked at a lot of options for SNMP management - varying widely in price and functionality. But you're not sure what you're looking for yet. Before you commit to an SNMP monitoring solution, you need to make sure it supports essential telemetry functions. You need a list that can tell you what you need, and more importantly what free downloadable SNMP software can't give you.

Your Free SNMP Software Probably Doesn't Include These 8 Mission-Critical Features:

1. Complete, Precise Alarm Descriptions
   A Free SNMP manager may not record location, time, severity and descriptions of alarm events. To adapt an off-the-shelf SNMP manager to monitor these factors, you must create and maintain a master alarm list representing all the monitored points in your network - and then also create and maintain a database associating all the Traps that may be sent to the SNMP manager with the alarms on that list.
2. Identify Cleared Alarms
   Even more work is required to identify whether a Trap represents an alarm or a clear condition. Creating this addition to the Trap association database often requires analyzing multiple variable bindings within the Trap packet.


3. Maintain a History of Standing Alarms
   A Free SNMP manager may not maintain a list of standing alarms. Instead, the typical SNMP manager maintains an event log of newly reported Traps and a history log of acknowledged Traps. As soon as a Trap is acknowledged, it is considered cleared. Imagine what might happen to your network if a system operator acknowledges an alarm, and then, for whatever reason, fails to correct the alarm condition. Who would know the alarm is still standing?
4. Sort or Filter Alarms
   Most free SNMP managers don't have built-in functions for organizing alarms by logical category, posting the same alarm to multiple logical categories, or sorting which alarms the user wants to see.
5. Graphical Alarm Display on Geographic Maps and Photos Most free SNMP managers don't come with graphical alarm display capabilities that provide you with more visibility over your whole network in a clear and logical way. Simultaneously displaying all of your remote sites and equipment on an easy-to-read graphical interface is far more advanced than basic text alarm displays that are usually limited to one remote site at a time.

6. Identify System Operators
   Free SNMP managers may not record the identity of the system operator who acknowledges an alarm. In the example of the negligent system operator, it would be impossible to determine who had made the mistake or to assign responsibility for the resulting problems.
7. Security for Multiple Users
   The typical SNMP manager is not designed for multi-user security. All Traps are posted to one alarm list; all users may view all alarms, and all users may acknowledge all alarms. That is, if they support multiple users in the first place.
8. Monitor Your Whole Network
   If you're like most companies SNMP compromises only part of your network. What about your switches, sonnet rings, environmental alarm and legacy gear?

If You're Serious about SNMP, You Have to See This Multi-Protocol SNMP Manager...

Why waste time with unprofessional free SNMP Software? Your job depends on your network reliability, so you must choose a proven, real-world solution. Learn more about this SNMP manager that can provide a total alarm management solution for your remote sites.

Learn about SNMP Monitoring Tools